Teenager Catches Record-Breaking Burbot in Lake Nipigon

A Young Angler's Triumph: Redefining Fishing Records in the Great White North

Evening Expedition Leads to an Unforgettable Catch

As dusk settled on January 31st, a 14-year-old named Mason Magee was ice fishing on the vast expanse of Lake Nipigon in southwestern Ontario, Canada. He was using a heavy 1-ounce blue-glow tube jig, targeting fish in deep waters alongside his family and friends. The group had been successfully catching whitefish and smaller burbot from a reef in 40 feet of water, through ice that was 18 inches thick.

The Battle with a Lake Monster

Chris Magee, Mason's father, shared the exciting details of the catch, explaining that burbot fishing is often most productive after dark. Mason was expertly working his jig near the lakebed with a spinning rod and a 20-pound test Power Pro braided line when a powerful strike occurred. He quickly set the hook, and what followed was an intense, albeit brief, struggle. The formidable fish pulled line from Mason's reel against the drag, but the young fisherman, a freshman and lacrosse player, managed to skillfully bring the creature to the surface and through the ice hole onto the frozen lake.

Verification of a Record-Breaking Specimen

Upon realizing the immense size of their catch, Mason's family and friends understood the importance of having it officially weighed on certified scales to determine if it qualified as a new Ontario provincial record for burbot. They promptly traveled by snowmobile back to Nipigon, where the fish was officially measured and weighed at a local butcher shop's certified scales. The burbot's impressive statistics included a weight of 23.04 pounds, a length of 40 inches, and a girth of 23.5 inches.

Surpassing Previous Achievements and Nearing Global Recognition

Mason's remarkable catch significantly surpassed the previous Ontario burbot record of 17.95 pounds, which was set in 2017 by angler Sebastien Roy on Lake Simcoe. Furthermore, this colossal burbot was only slightly shy of the International Game Fish Association's world record, a 25-pound, 2-ounce burbot caught in Saskatchewan in 2010 by Sean Konrad. The Ontario authorities have since officially approved Mason's burbot as the new provincial record.

Preserving a Momentous Achievement

Recognizing the exceptional nature of catching an Ontario record fish, the Magee family intends to have a taxidermist create a replica mount of Mason's burbot. Chris Magee expressed their desire to find a skilled taxidermist capable of producing a lifelike rendition of the fish. The plan is to proudly display the mounted fish in their home's recreation room, alongside other cherished fishing trophies, commemorating this extraordinary accomplishment for years to come.